Why Mid-Level Donors Deserve Your Full Attention

When you think about your fundraising strategy, major donors might get the spotlight, and annual donors provide the numbers. However, sitting quietly in the middle is a group with incredible potential: mid-level donors.

Often defined as individuals giving between $1,000 and $10,000 annually, mid-level donors are the backbone of donor pipelines. They’re loyal, generous, and when engaged intentionally, can drive long-term revenue growth. Yet, many nonprofits overlook them, grouping them with general donors or offering them little more than a thank-you email.

Let’s change that. Here are four proven strategies to turn your mid-level donors into mission-critical partners in 2025 and beyond.

1. Get to Know Who They Really Are

Behind every mid-level donation is a human being with unique motivations, passions, and giving habits. Understanding them starts with data.

Use your CRM, like Julep, to build detailed donor personas. Look beyond gift amounts. Track communication preferences, engagement levels, demographics, and giving motivations. Research shows that many mid-level donors formed connections with causes as young adults, so their loyalty likely runs deep.

Mid-level donors aren’t a monolith. Some want deeper involvement, while others prefer a quiet, no-fuss relationship. Surveys or engagement data are useful in determining what level of engagement donors want.

By segmenting and analyzing this group, you’ll uncover patterns that inform messaging, outreach timing, and content. The result? Communications that resonate, and donors who feel seen.

🍃 Julep tip: Actions, Attributes and Codes are flexible features that allow you to track and manage any type of data from personal preferences of donors, log communication history, track key issues, or record volunteer hours, they are completely customizable to fit the needs of your organization.

2. Make Engagement Personal and Strategic

Mid-level donors often fall into a limbo. They aren’t big enough for major gift treatment, but also they are too generous for generic emails. The solution? A tailored engagement strategy that strikes the right balance between personalization and efficiency.

Don’t just say thank you. Show it. Handwritten notes, personal video messages, or a quick phone call can build a meaningful connection. And when you send updates, make them specific. If they donated to disaster relief, follow up with an impact story from the field, not a blanket newsletter.

Create an intentional cadence of outreach based on your donor tiers. For example, your top-tier mid-level donors might receive quarterly calls, while others get biannual updates and handwritten holiday cards.

🍃 Julep tip: The Thank You Notes Needed feature highlights donors who contributed but haven’t received an acknowledgement. With this feature, you can pull an export of these donors and see which thank you cadence they need.

3. Use Technology to Scale With Heart

You don’t need a giant team to pull this off. You just need smart tools.

With the right CRM, such as Julep, and automation features, you can scale your personalization without losing the human touch. Here’s how you can combine Julep features with integrations like MailChimp or Constant Contact to better target your donors:

• Segmentation tools to tailor outreach by donor behavior or interest area.

• AI-powered insights to identify upgrade-ready donors or flag lapsed engagement.

• Automated workflows that trigger thank-you emails, video messages, or impact reports after specific actions.

• Chatbots or SMS for quick updates or reminders—especially helpful for donors who prefer mobile.

This doesn’t replace your team. It supercharges their impact, giving them more time to focus on building relationships.

🍃 Julep Tip: With Email Scheduler, you can create custom searches the run at scheduled intervals to find the donors that fit these different cadences. You can then set up the report to email results directly to your inbox.

4. Offer Experiences, Not Just Asks

What do mid-level donors really want? Recognition, community, and the chance to make an impact.

Creating unique opportunities, like donor societies, special access events, or giving challenges, can keep them engaged and motivated. Give your mid-level program a name, brand it with purpose, and communicate the perks clearly.

Consider:

• Mid-level donor societies with exclusive updates or virtual meet-and-greets.

• Matching gift days that amplify the donor’s impact.

• Behind-the-scenes content that makes them feel like insiders.

Remember, this isn’t about offering tote bags. It’s about creating emotional ROI.

🍃 Julep Tip: With Julep you can easily track memberships and clubs from the People Profile.

Mid-Level, Major Impact

In an era where fundraising dollars are harder to earn, mid-level donors offer rare stability. They’re not just in the middle of your giving chart. They’re in the middle of your mission’s success.

The best part? Many are already giving. They just need a reason to go deeper.

Make this the year you stop overlooking the middle, and start unlocking its full potential.

👉 Want more help? Download Julep’s guide on this topic—Love the Donors You Already Have: A Guide to Reaching Mid-Level Donors.